


The Longest Winter

by slingshot



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alpha Bang Chan, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, M/M, Omega Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Snowed In, Werewolves, hunter-gatherer lifestyle, no beta we die like men, past trauma, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:47:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29946060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slingshot/pseuds/slingshot
Summary: As part of his training to be a Fimbul Berserker, Chan has to undergo the tribe tradition of surviving in the wilderness for the winter on his own. Unfortunately, his plans are further complicated when he finds an injured omega in the snow. A warrior’s journey is never simple. Now Chan has to fight the real battle of being stuck in a cabin with an omega in the midst of impending snow storms.-Inspired by Stray Kids MAMA 2020 'Victory Song' stage
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix
Comments: 17
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic universe is medieval fantasy, with a hunter/farming society. their mindset can be somewhat primal and they act on their basic animal instincts because they are shifters

Winter solstice can be beautiful, yet cruel at the same time like a lover. Many creatures went into hibernation, hiding away from her. Gentle as she would appear, but deadly if she willed. Darkness arrived easily. However, a white death always comes with the promise of rebirth.

For Chan, it was a particularly harsh winter that year. Snow covered the grounds for miles ahead. The temperatures had soon fallen below freezing point. Freezing rain made it dangerous to be outside hunting, with blizzards happening more frequently than Chan could ever recall before he arrived at this old wooden cabin. 

Wrapped warmly in his treasured fur coat and beaver fur hat, Chan drowsily shovels the snow surrounding the cabin. It had reached the height of his knees overnight. Chan would love to continue hibernating inside the warm cabin but he had to shovel the snow now to prevent a build up.

A gust of crisp wind nipped his nose, turning it reddish. With his heightened senses, Chan could hear the wind picking up. A snow squall was incoming and Chan should not be outside. 

Amidst the chill, Chan catches a whiff of a scent. It had lingered after the cold draft that just blew from the direction of the outer boundaries of his territory.

Concentrating his senses, Chan takes a deep breath to confirm his suspicions. The scent smelled like _warm, fresh pastries_. 

Home. 

Chan perks up at the sudden intrusion, somehow the scent had reminded him of all the happy years spent growing up in the Big House. As a pup, Chan would hang around the kitchens, marvelling the cooks as they concocted wondrous dishes of sweets and pastries. Chan felt a yearning inside him. 

Aside from Chan hanging around the kitchens, he knew everyone in the Big House. Chan was familiar with all their scents. The winds had carried a _scent_. However, this scent was entirely foreign. A stranger was on his land. 

Chan figured this because no one was supposed to be within this territory at this point in time. He wanted to seek out the scent. His wolf was ready for a hunt. 

Chan lets out a howl into the wilderness beyond his eyeline of the trees surrounding his cabin. No answer. It was worrying. The being out there could be a friend or foe. Returning the shovel, Chan grabs his spear.

Trekking through the snowy path, Chan tightens the grip on his spear. Chan was on guard. He just hopes this encounter would not go south. 

The winds were howling, getting stronger by the minute. Determined, he had to find the stranger before dusk fell. The danger of winter was not the whiteout but the pitch darkness. No moonlight shone here, the trees went dark and the lakes were black ice. 

Bending down on one knee, his gloved hand picks up a pinch of snow. Using his sensitive nose, Chan attempts to make sense of what or who had crossed his lands. 

Among the many overlapping smells of snowfall and the huge forest, Chan could barely sniff out the pleasant, inviting scent of the being. Crossing the forest, Chan follows the direction of the scent. As Chan travels further to the boundaries of his territory, the scent becomes stronger. 

However, the once pleasant buttery scent was tainted by the intense wave of distress and tell-tale horrible metallic tang of blood. This mixture spliced through the cold air like a carcass of prey after a hunt.

Chan’s breath catches in his throat. Silently, he prayed he was the first one to discover the stranger. Blood in the wind could attract predators in the time of winter scarcity. 

Finally in the clearing, Chan spots with his sharp eyes a lone figure huddled and trembling. Blink and you would miss it, the figure was almost hidden by the falling snow. Chan could only think of the warning tales of _yukionna_ , a fearsome maiden made of snow that one should definitely not meet.

Chan blinks again. The scent of blood was so strong now that it made his wolf growl. The being was real. Realisation washed over Chan and he felt his heart drop to his stomach. 

An omega. 

An omega was bleeding out in the snow, scarlet red stained the white ground. Chan’s protective instincts immediately kick into overdrive and he hurries over.

Upon further inspection, Chan finds to his utmost horror that the poor thing had been caught in an animal trap that Chan had set up. The lower part of the omega’s leg was mangled in the open jaws of the metal trap. The omega’s unmoving hands were placed over their right leg, seemingly trying to remove their leg from the trap. 

Chan was cautious not to touch the injured omega. A hurt wolf was volatile and unpredictable. The omega wore a white hood with light blonde hair peeking out from under. The rest of their face was covered with another white scarf. This left only the upper half of their face exposed, with frost forming on their long eyelashes. The omega had blended in with the surrounding snow with the rest of their light coloured clothes. 

The omega did not move or acknowledge Chan’s presence. Chan knew in his gut that something was wrong. Dropping his spear, Chan crouches down with his hands outstretched until he was eye level with the omega. 

“Hi. Hello. Are you okay?” Chan asks in a low voice, not wanting to alarm the omega with his scent as a strange alpha. 

No reply. 

The omega does not seem to register Chan even as Chan waves his fingers in front of them. Furthermore, the omega’s gaze was unfocused.

The shivering omega seemed almost catatonic. The only sign of life from the omega was the slow, heavy breaths. Chan frowns. 

“Hey, I’m going to help you. Okay?” Chan continues in a low voice.

Chan takes off his fur coat to place it over the omega’s small shoulders that were violently shaking. By sheer luck, the extreme cold had also freezed the metal trap. The trap had malfunctioned and did not fully pierce through the omega’s leg in a clean chop. 

Due to the weather, the bleeding had stopped too. He hoped the omega was not too far gone to be saved. If Chan had not discovered the omega in time, frostbite and hypothermia would have ended the omega’s life first before the actual injury could.

At that moment, Chan’s heart ached for an inexplicable reason. 

“I’m sorry if this is going to hurt. But bare with it. I’m going to get you out. ” Chan tries to reassure the omega even though he was not certain if the omega could hear him. 

Gritting his teeth, Chan grips the jaws and forces open the trap with all his strength. The metal had been made brittle by the plunging temperatures. Fortunately, the trap jerks apart. Worryingly, the omega still does not move. 

Wincing, Chan precisely lifts and carefully separates the omega’s leg from the metal jaws of the trap. Almost like a marionette with its strings cut, the tension in the omega’s body suddenly breaks. The omega starts to sway dangerously backwards, eyelashes fluttering. Panicked, Chan manages to catch the omega’s head before it hit the hard ground. 

Pulling the omega’s face scarf down, Chan checks for the omega’s breathing. In his arms, the omega appeared unreal. As snow fell around them, the omega resembled a winter sprite with their pale skin and blue lips. It seemed like a herculean effort for the omega to keep their eyes open. Chan taps the freezing cheek of the omega. The omega’s skin felt like ice to his touch even with Chan’s gloves on. 

“Hey, hey, stay with me. Don’t fall asleep.” 

Resting the omega’s head on his thigh, Chan rips off the bottom of his tunic and wraps the injured calf quickly. Chan brushes the snow off the omega. Grabbing his spear and tying it behind his back. Chan bends to scoop his arms under the omega and lift them. The omega was still disoriented. Time was precious and Chan needed to get the omega to a heat source promptly. 

Fighting the frigid air and increasingly low visibility, Chan hikes through the snow as fast as his legs could bring him in this freezing weather. Normally, Chan would leisurely admire the beauty of the towering pine trees and the snow accumulating on their branches.

However, Chan was trying his best to not accidentally slip on frost on the path with his new added weight. The beginnings of a snow storm made it immensely difficult to travel through the same forest he could sprint across in seconds in the summer. 

Chan has never been so glad to see his old wooden cabin with magical talismans stuck on the door and wolves carved on the wood. Crossing the threshold, Chan carries the nearly unconscious omega to the only bed in the cabin beside the fireplace. Lying the omega delicately on the animal pelts, he removes the omega’s wet clothes to replace with Chan’s own spare dry, woollen clothes. Chan places his fur coat back over the trembling omega as a blanket. 

The omega was dressed too thin for the winter. Moreover, they were too skinny for the cold season. The yellowed bruises all over the omega’s body told Chan everything and nothing at the same time. The only answer was the omega’s slow blinks. 

Chan places a ceramic kettle to boil on the metal trivet at the fireplace, sprinkling in foraged pine needles. Grabbing the glass jar of medicinal elderberry tincture from the kitchen shelf, Chan props up the limp omega on the few pillows he had. Holding up the omega’s chin and squeezing their cheeks, Chan drips the medicinal tincture into the omega’s mouth. 

After ensuring the omega has swallowed the medication, Chan fills a bowl of pine needle tea from the kettle. Using a wooden spoon, Chan relentlessly feeds the tea to the omega while using his other hand to tilt their head back to prevent choking.

Gradually, the omega moved their lips and the bowl became empty. Colour came back to their nose and cheeks, giving them a pink flush rather than the deathly pallor Chan first encountered. The omega still seemed delirious, not responding as Chan adjusted them back to a sleeping position. 

“You can rest now.” Chan says to a cabin silent except for the burning embers of firewood. 

He caresses the omega’s eyelids, pushing them shut gently. Chan sits by the wooden bed, watching until the omega’s breathing evened out calmly in sleep. Shifting to the end of the bed, Chan unwraps the makeshift bandage around the omega’s right calf. After cleaning the wound, he applies a medical yarrow salve. This time, Chan properly bandages the injured calf.

Finally, Chan lets out the breath he had been holding since he discovered the omega. 

The metal trap had punctured through skin, leaving deep gnashes. It would take time for the omega to heal, let alone walk. As soon as Mother Winter arrived, the Sun God, the patron of medicine and healing, ran away into hiding. Injuries and births during winter were dangerous. 

Filled with worry, Chan hopes the wound will be able to heal correctly in this time of the year. On the other hand, he was using his own supply of medicine. They might not have enough to tide over the rest of the winter. Chan was not a trained healer. If there were any complications, it was beyond his abilities. He silently thanks Brian for giving him a bag of herbs and elixirs before he left. 

With the face scarf removed, Chan manages to get a good look at the omega this time. The male omega appeared young, white blonde bangs with his hair ending just below his chin. His hair looked hastily chopped with its uneven ends.

Chan’s eyes were immediately drawn to the freckles scattered around his button nose to his eyes like stars in the night sky. They were much more apparent now in the warm light of the fireplace. The freckles accentuated his long eyelashes. The omega had a small face the size of Chan’s hand, accompanied by chapped, heart shape lips. 

The omega resembled a sleeping porcelain doll, his expression free from the earlier distress. Chan was perplexed. Usually, packs and tribes were protective of their omegas.

Furthermore, this was an unbonded omega. Bare of the bonding mark on his neck, Chan could not pick up other scents on the omega also. Just the likeable pastry scent Chan had sought after in the winds. 

This was an attractive omega of a mating age. Back in the village, there would be meatheaded alphas or even betas, fighting over an omega like this. Chan wanders, what are you doing so far from home?

Lone wolves were out of the ordinary, much less a lone omega. It was too risky for anyone to be travelling long distances in the dead of winter. 

The omega must be from a region beyond the cold mountains. Nobody had this many vivid freckles, in Chan’s tribe. The nearby flames from the fireplace made the omega’s pale hair seem orange.

It reminded Chan of the injured fox kit he had rescued many moons ago when he was growing up in the Big House. They always said Chan had a heart that was too big, bigger than his build.

On the omega’s chest, a red stone pendant glowed dimly. It was probably the flames reflecting again on the gem. Chan had this urge to study the gem closer but it was rude of him.

The omega’s makeshift cloth satchel was of another interest to Chan. Again, it was wrong of him to look through the thin satchel the omega had carried. But he had been curious since the omega’s presence itself was already an oddity. 

Upon opening the satchel, Chan regretted his decision. There was only a handful of tack biscuits and foraged frozen berries. The biscuits were stone hard and most likely, tasteless. The cloth looked like it could fall apart at any moment, threadbare like the coarse clothes the omega was wearing. 

The omega was on a trip to death, barely able to fend for himself. Let alone survive in this mountainous wilderness of Chan’s current territory. Maybe the omega was excommunicated from his tribe. Perhaps the best punishment after all, was being made to travel with nothing but the clothes on their back. 

Chan knew this all too well. Whoever or wherever the omega was running from, there will not be any trackers, search parties in this harsh weather for now. In addition, there were other menacing predators in these snowy slopes, like bears and giants.

Chan’s cabin was the safest place for the omega in the whole mountain. Mother Winter was merciful this way. 

There was a logical part of Chan that objected to the omega’s presence, which threw a spanner into the works. But Chan’s anger over the omega’s plight outweighed anything. The pack was supposed to protect everyone, especially those weaker and vulnerable. Without this, there was no pack. 

Chan could hear the snow storm blowing outside the cabin. At the moment, the priority was to warm up the omega and resume normal body temperature. The temperature in the cabin was going to drop later at night. This was going to be a long night. 

Normally, Chan’s pack would sleep together around the central fire hearth as their wolves during winter. So Chan does what he knows, shifting into his wolf form and lying down beside the sleeping omega on the bed to provide more heat.

Not that Chan would mind, the pastry scent of the strange omega was so calming and inviting to him. Placing his snout protectively over the omega, Chan shuts his eyes and listens to the peaceful lullaby of the omega’s heartbeat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REFERENCES:
> 
> fimbul winter is from nordic mythology
> 
> the yukionna belongs to japanese folklore


	2. Chapter 2

Naturally, it was the sound of movement around him that woke Chan up from his night of cool slumber. His ears perk up and he opens his eyes wearily, only to be greeted by the sight of a panicked set of blue orbs in front of him.

Momentarily, Chan was stunned at how the colour of omega’s large eyes were as pure as a cloudless summer sky. 

Yet again, Chan could smell the sour distress in the omega’s scent. Chan realises that he was too close and his head was resting on the omega’s chest. The omega was on the verge of tears with his arms trapped beneath Chan’s large furry body. 

Remembering the proprietary between alphas and omegas, Chan instantly withdraws his body from the bed. His wolf brain cannot help but whine at the loss of contact. His wolf simply wanted to be close to the omega. Maybe he had just missed the physical presence and body heat of another living being. 

Nevertheless, the wolf did not like seeing the omega upset. Chan decides to call for peace. He crouches down on the floor with his front paws facing the omega. This was a sign of non-aggression, they were equals. Consequently, the omega was shocked with his mouth hanging open. 

Some prideful alphas would never be caught dead doing this to an omega, while in their wolf form. Chan was not one for tradition. He did not want the omega to be afraid of him. Subsequently, Chan gets up and shifts back to his human form. 

As Chan predicts, the omega’s eyes widen and he shrinks back from Chan. Chan internally sighs. This was the reaction Chan usually received from unfamiliar omegas. They would flinch after sniffing the air and realising Chan was an alpha. People were usually taken aback first by his heterochromia eyes, his scar, then his scent. 

Chan hated it so much. Sometimes, he wished that he presented as a beta instead. Chan could literally smell the fear coming off the omega. 

“Greetings, my name is Chan,” Chan puts on his best smile and bows 90 degrees towards the omega. A sign of respect. As intimidating as Chan appeared, he was still a polite person. 

“I found you in my territory just yesterday. Your injury is kind of my fault. It was my traps that you stepped in.” He adds sheepishly. “I dressed and bandaged your wound. You’re welcome to stay in my humble abode until your leg heals.” 

“May I know your name?” 

Silence. The omega hugged his injured foot, refusing to make eye contact with Chan. It was a sign of submission. Chan awkwardly fidgets his hands. 

“Well, I’m going to make breakfast now.” Chan pats his thighs and feigns a cheerful laugh as he walks to the kitchen for more ingredients. 

Placing a wide, wooden mixing bowl on the kitchen table, Chan dumps oat flour into it. He grabs a pinch of salt, sprinkling it into the mix. Next, he scoops a small cup of water from the pitcher, pouring it into the mixture. After kneading the dough into a ball, Chan takes a spare cloth and covers the bowl to allow the dough to set. 

Chan starts the fire for the kitchen stove, bringing a flaming piece of wood from the central fireplace. He refills the kettle with water and pine needles, setting it to boil on the kitchen stove.

Taking a bowl of berries and the bowl of dough with him, Chan goes back to the center fireplace with a metal griddle, hanging it by the hook above the fireplace. 

The omega was still in a state of shock of his surroundings, eyes darting around the cabin. He looked terribly small, sitting with his knees up to his face and covered in Chan’s coat. 

“Have some of the berries,” Chan offers the omega in a gentle voice, putting the bowl in front of the omega’s eye view. 

The omega blinks twice. Each blink was so slow that Chan was privy to the full, long lashes that adorned those beautiful eyes. Chan repeats himself slightly louder, thinking the omega might not have heard him entirely. Alas, the omega remains frozen in the spot on Chan’s bed. 

The cabin was alarmingly quiet, with only the sounds of Chan’s and omega’s respective breathing. Chan picks some of the berries to throw into the dough mixture. Then, he places the bowl of remaining berries on a wooden tray, on the edge of the bed as peace offering.

Sitting on the wooden stool beside the fireplace, Chan pinches some dough and flattens it into a round cake that could fit the size of his palm. He places the flatcakes on the griddle one by one. From the corner of his eye, the omega does not move an inch towards the bowl of berries. 

Chan makes a batch of flatcakes, watching them cook as he fans the flames and adds more wood. Using a metal spatula, he removes the flatcakes from the griddle to let them cool on a ceramic plate. The omega perks up at the smell from the flatcakes but he still keeps silent. Maybe the omega preferred flatcakes over berries, Chan thought. 

Taking one warm flatcake, Chan offers it to the omega. “I won't eat it until you do.” 

The omega shakes his head vehemently. Chan was defying the rule of alphas having the first bite during meals. Chan does not know when the omega last ate solid food but this could not continue. 

“I was going to give you the better one but since you’re not hungry, then you’ll just have this one that is slightly more burned instead.” Chan pretends to be annoyed. 

Chan leaves the flat cakes embellished with berries for the omega anyway, eating the plain ones in the batch. Chan was going to have his work cut out for him to understand this mysterious omega. An affliction of the mind was not something Chan was equipped with dealing. He could not help in any way except take baby steps. 

Chan pushes a low wooden table beside bed, placing the flatcakes and berries on it. Grabbing a few pieces of preserved bison jerky from the kitchen, Chan pops one in his mouth while setting the rest on the table. Lastly, he takes the kettle of pine needle tea, alongside two cups, to complete the meal set up. 

Expectantly, the omega was looking at the food with hungry eyes. Taking a sip of the tea, Chan waits for the omega to react first. 

“I-is this a test?” The omega finally croaks out, voice gravelly deep.

The omega’s voice sent shivers down Chan’s spine. Chan thinks that it must be from the lack of use. That voice could not be real. He was very certain that this was an omega, his appearance and scent screamed omega. 

“No?” Chan is even more confused, frowning. 

At the slight furrow of Chan’s brow, the omega moves back from the table. Despite Chan’s answer, the omega still did not believe him. The omega was akin to a skittish wild animal. Chan pours a cup of tea for the omega. 

“This is pine needle tea, it’s good for curing colds.” Chan changes his tone. “ You _need_ to drink,” he orders, using his alpha voice that was deeper. 

The omega whimpers at his command instinctively. Chan rarely used his alpha voice because he managed to get his point across most of the time. He almost had no use for it except in hunts. This time, the omega’s stubbornness outweighed the will to survive.

With shaking hands, the omega raises the cup to his parched lips. He winces before drinking, like it was poison. 

“I apologise for using my alpha voice, but I have no ulterior intentions. Drink and eat as much as you want, of what I have here,” Chan gestures around his cabin. 

“I can't have you dying on me if you don't eat. Whatever happened, it's in the past. You need to live for now.” 

If it was anybody else, Chan would be exasperated at the stranger for wasting his kindness and limited food supply. Yet, he could not help but find the omega adorable as the omega glared at him with those piercing cerulean eyes while gnawing on a flatcake. 

Tufts of white hair on top of the omega’s head were naturally raised due to bed rest. It gave the omega the appearance of horns. Chan wonders if he had lucked out and the omega was winter fey who came to mess around with him. 

Going back to the kitchen, Chan fills a small ceramic pot with water and dried herbs of codonopsis root, astragalus, goji berries and red dates. Squatting down to checking the heat, he kickstarts the slow broth process by adding charcoal to burn. As the flame steadies, Chan proceeds to layer up with gloves, a scarf and fur hat. 

“I have to go do some yard work now. I wouldn’t suggest getting out of bed. The metal trap got your tendons, even taking a step will be difficult.” Chan says as he slings a big, woven basket over his shoulders and grasps a pitcher of water. 

Lacing the fur outer boots over his leather boots, Chan takes one last look at the omega. “Yell if you need me, I’ll be outside,” he reassures before leaving. 

Chan thinks if he blinks for a second, the pretty omega wrapped in his coat on his bed would disappear. 


	3. Chapter 3

Back in the cabin, Chan observes the sleeping omega’s nose twitching first before his lashes flutter open. The omega was immediately hyper focused on the smoked deer leg Chan was waving under his nose. Chan thinks the omega would not appreciate Chan physically rousing him to wake up. Thus, this was the method he had chosen currently. 

“I see you had a good meal,” Chan tilts his towards the empty plates on the table. 

With careful hands, Chan brings out the ceramic pot that had been brewing for hours. The mixture of dried herbs led to a soup that could boost energy and strengthen the body. It was one of their clan traditional recipes. 

“Finish the herbal broth before u can eat this,” Chan tempts the omega with the smoked deer leg again. 

The omega takes a skeptical whiff of the bitter broth and his jaw drops. He stares at Chan bug-eyed, in a disbelieving manner. 

“Usually, it goes well with chicken bone but I haven’t seen a single fowl around the area in days.” Chan shrugs. 

“It’ll help u heal faster. Warm the body.” Chan tries for consolation as he serves up a small bowl of it for himself as well. Hot soup was still hot soup on a cold, winter day. 

The omega was unimpressed to say the least. He takes a reluctant sip. Chan sits at the same table while using a knife to separate some of the deer meat from the bone. With every sip, the omega stares longingly at the deer meat. 

“See? It wasn’t that bad. You get used to the taste after a while.”

The omega winces from the bitterness. He gives Chan a withering look after he was done. It was truly a marvel how so little said so much. As promised, Chan presents the omega with the reward of a mix of cooked winter peas and kale with smoked deer. Without another word, the omega scarfs his portion down hungrily. 

On the other hand, Chan was content with chewing directly off the bone. The omega had a big appetite for a small stature. Fortunately, it was a good sign of health. He did not have to worry much about the omega other than the leg injury. 

“Luckily, there was not much snow today. I didn’t have to spend most of my time shovelling snow again.” Chan makes small talk. 

Seeing that the omega was in a better mood in his company, Chan prompts, “What's your name? I can’t keep calling you ‘omega’.”

“Yong-,” The omega shuts his mouth halfway. He hesitates. 

“It's Felix.” The omega coughs out. Although, Chan notices that he does not say the name with much conviction, like the letters were foreign to his mouth. 

“Felix.” Chan lets the name roll on his tongue. 

“Are you from the Felly tribe?” Felix suddenly asks. 

“Felly tribe? I’m from the Miroh tribe. The mountain up ahead is the Miroh Mountain. ” Chan points to the ageing map pinned on the wall. 

“See the wolf symbol on the map? That’s where we are.” 

Felix studies the map intently. The cabin sat on the border of the tribe territory between the Felly and Miroh wolves. Despite this, Chan was unafraid. The Felly tribe territory was smaller than Miroh’s. Even as the Felly tribe grew weaker over the years, the two tribes did not have a history of conflict. Felix seemed visibly brighter after Chan’s answer. 

“Where is your pack?” Felix quizzes in a soft voice. 

“Up in the mountains. It’s just me here, for now.” 

“Only you.” Felix repeats.

Chan nods. The cabin was located in the coldest region of the Miroh territory in winter. The nearest village was half a day away on horseback. 

“Were you supposed to be headed there?” Chan indicates the village on the map. 

Felix simply shakes his head, attention returning to the food in his bowl. Chan got the hint. This was all the information Chan was privy to, today. He was not going to push. 

After the meal, Chan attends to the omega’s wound. 

“I have to change the dressing and check if your wound is healing properly,” Chan announces before he sits on the edge of the bed. 

Gingerly, Chan lifts Felix’s injured foot onto his lap. Chan warns as he applies the yarrow salve to the wounds, “I apologise, but this might hurt.” 

Unavoidably, Felix bites his lower lip, face scrunching at the pain. With all his efforts, Chan attempts to be as gentle as possible. Chan decides to go for a distraction instead.

“My father, he fought a bear once during a hunt. He probably thought of himself as a bear though, because of the size of his wolf.” Chan laughs. 

“His leg ended up getting mauled. It took him a whole summer to be able to walk again. He was not able to turnskin for a long time and that made him really antsy. In your state now, you can't either. But it may be different for omegas.” Chan explains. 

Striking a balance between wolf and human was important. However, people of different designations treated their wolves differently. When Chan got angry, he felt his wolf bubbling inside. It was common for alphas who were the hunters and warriors of the clan. 

With Felix occupying the bed, there was no place for Chan to sleep except for the floor. The dropping temperatures of the night led to Chan shifting into wolf form to conserve heat. It was too cold to sleep with just an animal pelt on the floor in his human form. Chan lies as close as possible to the fireplace. 

In the dead of the night, Chan wakes up with his sensitive wolf ears detecting whimpers. Padding over to the bed, Chan spies Felix shaking and mumbling in his sleep. The omega was having tell-tale signs of a nightmare. Gripping the bedding with his jaws, Chan tugs onto the bedding to shake Felix awake. 

Felix wakes abruptly with a gasp, eyes flying open in alarm. He was confused at his surroundings temporarily and broke out into cold sweat. Felix stares at the dusty wooden beams of the ceiling of the cabin. 

Chan whines to get Felix’s attention. Sitting on his hind legs beside the bed, he cocks his furry head expectantly at Felix. Blush covers Felix’s cheeks, he was embarrassed at Chan witnessing this. Chan uses his snout to nudge Felix’s fingers. Felix relaxes his hand and Chan positions his head under Felix's hand hanging off the bed. Chan lets Felix pet him on his furry head to calm the omega down. 

It had worked and Felix’s breathing slowed down gradually. Chan noses and licks Felix’s hands, brushing his face against Felix’s wrist. He was scent marking Felix’s wrist, using his scent to comfort the omega like he would to his pack member. 

Hidden in the shadows of faint candle light, Chan swore he glimpsed at the ghost of a smile on Felix’s face before the omega went back to sleep. That night, Chan falls into slumber beside the bed instead of the warm fireplace, guarding the omega’s dreams. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * the herbal broth recipe is traditional chinese herbal chicken soup :)

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve never lived through winter or come from a country that has the winter season so if i get anything wrong about living in a homestead during winter, I apologise for any inaccuracies.


End file.
